1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to footwear and, particularly, to athletic shoes, such as jogging or running shoes.
Recently, the sport of jogging has become popular with an increasing proportion of the American population. Many jogging shoes are available with a variety of designs for the upper and sole and the lacing means. However, one problem still present for many joggers is the ability to be seen clearly by others, like motorists and bicycle riders, in early morning or late evening hours.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Previously, sporting shoes have been provided with a variety of special features to improve appearance, durability, ability to grip the roadway or other surface, and other aesthetic and functional improvements. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,085,527 to Rigg; 4,030,213 to Daswick; and 4,069,598 to Dassler, show various modifications to sport shoes to improve the traction characteristics.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,664,728 to Behr discloses placing twisted cords of loose fibrous material in preformed slots in a sport shoe sole to improve traction.
In addition to functional features, many aesthetic features have been added to shoes, not only sport shoes by other casual and formal styled footwear. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,977,995 to Morali discloses a formal shoe having colored glass ornaments along the upper portions thereof to reflect incident light to provide an ornamental effect.